SBIR Phase I: A Student Learning Dashboard

Prenostik, Llc, Irvine CA

Investigators

Abstract

The broader/commercial impact of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project is in improving retention in higher education and increasing graduation rates. Currently, the average U.S. college dropout rate is 40%. Moreover, underserved Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) student populations are more likely to leave school without a degree. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, increased financial insecurity and mental health challenges have negatively impacted student learning. This project aims to develop a student learning dashboard platform that acts as a co-pilot during students' higher education learning journey by delivering targeted, personalized, and real-time actionable assistance. The solution holistically identifies each student's unique learning motivation challenges (e.g., subject difficulty, relevance to career goals, social and economic constraints, etc.) and provides specific recommendations to overcome barriers. Coaching students to learn how to learn more effectively based on their own context fosters a growth mindset, grit, and agency to help them become successful lifelong learners. The application also significantly improves diversity, equity, and inclusion in higher education, especially in STEM, and thus increases effective workforce training. This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project uses machine learning to understand each student's unique learning challenges, map how barriers affect learning motivation, and influences coursework engagement. Machine learning is applied to analyze qualitative and quantitative learning motivation and behavior data to identify gaps so real-time, targeted, and relevant guidance can be delivered while the students are still progressing through the courses rather than waiting until it might be too late for intervention. This project provides descriptive, predictive, and prescriptive recommendations to simulate one-on-one, personalized advising at scale and at a lower cost. The technology also acts as an early detection system when students show the first sign of academic and non-academic struggles affecting their mental state of readiness to learn. When in-person human intervention is required, instructors, academic advising, and/or relevant on-campus student support services can be alerted. This project can be used by any educational institution or private company providing in-person, flipped/hybrid, remote, synchronous, or asynchronous instruction formats. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.